“What an adorable little girl.”
Kang Zhimiao had initially just wanted to be polite, but Yaya truly was as beautiful and cute as the rumors said.
Yaya softly rested her head on Kang Zhimiao’s shoulder, then turned and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Aunty—”
Kang Zhimiao was astonished. She asked Ye Zhiqiu, “Yaya isn’t even six months old yet, is she? She can already talk?”
“She can only say single words, not full sentences yet.”
“That’s still amazing. My little rascal here couldn’t even say ‘mama’ until he was almost one and a half.”
Kang Zhimiao playfully teased Yaya. “Yaya is so smart, isn’t she?”
Yaya giggled, her tiny hands reaching out to play with Kang Zhimiao’s hair. [This auntie smells so nice~ Yaya likes her.]
[But Yaya doesn’t like her younger sister. That sister is a big villain, super duper annoying, hmph!]
[This auntie even wanted to plead for her sister in front of Mommy, but she doesn’t know that her sister will eventually cause her death.]
[After she dies, her sister will marry her husband, mistreat her son, and even get bad people to tempt her son into drug addiction. That woman is truly vicious and cruel.]
[Thinking about it, since she can be friends with that ugly weirdo Shen Liya, how could she be a good person? She learned how to harm this auntie from that ugly weirdo.]
[Oh dear, I can’t think about it. Getting angry just remembering this stuff.]
Yaya clenched her tiny fists and waved them vigorously, snapping Kang Zhimiao out of her daze.
She hadn’t imagined it. That voice had definitely been Yaya’s, sounding clearly in her mind.
Was Yaya talking about Zhixin? Would she really do such things?
Kang Zhimiao’s thoughts became a chaotic mess. Ye Zhiqiu noticed her discomfort.
“Sister Kang, have some tea.”
Ye Zhiqiu poured her a cup of barley tea. “My second uncle brought this roasted barley back from the Great Northern Wilderness. Steeping it in water is great for beating the heat and cutting through grease.”
“Thank you, Xiao Ye.”
Ye Zhiqiu reached out toward Yaya, who was still in Kang Zhimiao’s arms. “Yaya, come to Mommy. Don’t bother Auntie.”
“It’s no bother.”
Kang Zhimiao let Yaya sit on her lap. When Yaya noticed Xu Rui staring at her, she gave him a polite little smile. Curious, Xu Rui reached out wanting to touch her small hand.
Huo Jiusi quickly stepped in, gently holding Yaya’s hand instead. He crouched down to her eye level. “Yaya, are you hungry?”
Yaya patted her little tummy and nodded. Huo Jiusi opened his arms toward her. “Yaya, how about I go make you a bottle, okay?”
Yaya knew the little demon was feeling jealous again, but she really was hungry, so she reached out, signaling for him to pick her up.
“Auntie Ye, I’m going to make Yaya’s bottle.”
“Go ahead.”
Kang Zhimiao watched the two children until they disappeared inside before turning to Ye Zhiqiu. “That little boy is Old General Huo’s grandson, right? He and Yaya are so close.”
She’d heard the rumors that Old General Huo’s grandson was always glued to Old General Yue’s granddaughter, and it seemed they were true.
This granddaughter of Old General Yue was truly as cherished as everyone said.
Setting everything else aside, just having the protection of the Yue and Huo families meant Yaya could do whatever she wanted in the capital when she grew up.
Kang Zhimiao’s purpose in visiting today was twofold. First, she wanted to build a better relationship with Ye Zhiqiu. Even if they couldn’t become close friends, she absolutely didn’t want to become enemies.
Second, she wanted to apologize on Kang Zhixin’s behalf and ask Ye Zhiqiu not to take her sister’s behavior to heart.
But Yaya’s inner thoughts had just made her temporarily abandon that second goal.
Kang Zhimiao casually chatted with Ye Zhiqiu about everyday things, starting with some of her own parenting experiences, and eventually the conversation turned to work.
“Xiao Ye, are you planning to go back to work?”
Ye Zhiqiu nodded slightly. “Yes, I’ll return on the first of next month.”
“So soon? Aren’t you going to rest a while longer?”
“I’ve pretty much recovered by now.”
Kang Zhimiao guessed, “You’re planning to go back to dancing, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Do your in-laws and Xiao Yue agree?”
“They do.”
A pang of bitterness and envy struck Kang Zhimiao. She hadn’t actually wanted to give up dancing herself, but her father-in-law and Xu Xun had both disagreed, especially Xu Xun, who had even made her resign.
“Xiao Ye, I’m truly envious of you,” Kang Zhimiao said sincerely. “You married into such an understanding, wonderful family. Xiao Yue is a good man too.”
“Sister Kang, even though you can’t perform on stage anymore, you can still dance, can’t you? If you want to, anywhere can be a stage.”
Ye Zhiqiu’s words lit a spark in Kang Zhimiao’s eyes. It was true. Even if she couldn’t be on stage, she could still dance.
“Xiao Ye, thank you.” Kang Zhimiao grasped Ye Zhiqiu’s hand emotionally.
Ye Zhiqiu smiled. “Sister Kang, just call me Zhiqiu.”
“Zhiqiu.”
Just as Kang Zhimiao and Ye Zhiqiu were talking, Lu Shuangshuang arrived. She also recognized Kang Zhimiao and was quite surprised to see her there.
Kang Zhimiao remembered Lu Shuangshuang too. Lu Shuangshuang had joined the song and dance troupe earlier than Ye Zhiqiu.
Back then, Kang Zhimiao had even trained Lu Shuangshuang and the others, demonstrating moves for them.
Although Lu Shuangshuang was currently at odds with Kang Zhixin, her impression of Kang Zhimiao remained very positive.
“Sister Kang.” Lu Shuangshuang came over and greeted her.
Kang Zhimiao gently stroked Lu Shuangshuang’s hair. “Shuangshuang, you’ve grown a lot taller, and you’re even prettier, and more mature too.”
After catching up a bit, Kang Zhimiao remembered Kang Zhixin claiming that Lu Shuangshuang had pushed her, causing her to sprain her ankle. She asked Lu Shuangshuang for confirmation. “Shuangshuang, do you know how Zhixin hurt her foot?”
“She wasn’t steady on her feet and sprained it herself.”
Lu Shuangshuang guessed what Kang Zhixin must have said. “Sister Kang, she told you I pushed her, didn’t she?”
Kang Zhimiao didn’t deny it. Lu Shuangshuang let out a cold laugh. “She’s really something. Does she think the whole troupe is blind? I was nowhere near her at the time, but she insisted to the troupe leader that I caused her injury.”
Kang Zhimiao frowned slightly. If she hadn’t come today, she would have believed Kang Zhixin’s version of events.
If Kang Zhixin had lied about this, maybe many other things she said were also false.
When she probed further, it turned out to be exactly the case.
In front of Ye Zhiqiu and Lu Shuangshuang, Kang Zhimiao kept her composure, but inside, she was boiling with anger.
Not only was Kang Zhixin full of lies, but she also had the nerve to shamelessly ask people for gifts.
The family had never been stingy with her, so how had she become so vain?
Back home, Xu Xun noticed her troubled expression. “What’s wrong? Did your visit with Xiao Ye not go well?”
“No, Zhiqiu and I had a lot to talk about. She has a really good personality.”
Kang Zhimiao told Xu Xun about Yaya. “Her daughter is absolutely adorable and incredibly smart. She understands what people say and can already say a few words.”
“I’d heard that. Didn’t realize it was true.”
Xu Xun put his arm around her. “If it weren’t for the family planning policy, it would be so nice if we could have a daughter too. Then we’d have one of each.”
“If you got along so well with Xiao Ye, why are you still upset?” Xu Xun circled back to the original question.
“It’s about Zhixin. I’ve realized she’s changed a lot.”
